Gameplay:
I usually try to to open the curtains a little bit and let the magic of reviewing out of the bag, but with a game like Deliver Us the Moon, it deserves the spotlight. Right off you will see the atmosphere the game brings. It’s thick with tension right off the bat, building the world from the start. Which is typical of this genre of games.

You start in a sparse and arid Russia. You are humanity’s last hope to save the Earth. Five years ago, the Moon stopped transmitting essential energy, and it’s your job to find out what happened and correct things. If not, the world will die. It’s pretty heady stuff, but it’s a target rich environment for great storytelling.

Which brings me to my first gripe. The game rushes through its initial stage and gets the story going quick. I would have liked to see more world building, such as why exactly the Earth died so quickly? And, what about the WSA? I would have liked to see the beginning expanded some. In all honesty, each major section goes by too quickly for me, and I would have liked more time to explore the world. A slow burn instead of a full sprint would have been nice.

The main gist of the game is exploring the environment and collecting audio/hologram logs to piece together the story. Along with that are light to medium puzzle solving elements. They are really well created and make the world that’s being built seem more alive. It’s like a model of an engine; each piece has a place and job to make something else work. My only complaint with this is that when you fail a puzzle you start from the beginning. While most puzzles are short, there are some multi-step puzzles near the end. They tend to also have a clear spots for a checkpoint.

One thing the game excels in is taking different styles of play and melding them well here. Going from zero-g movement to puzzle solving is done extremely well and there’s no hiccup when the game switches. It was surprising that when I was writing my notes, it dawned on me there were different genres of gameplay at work here. They blended so well it was subtle.

My only other complaint is a technical gaffe. The game tends to completely freeze when it saves and loads. The first time it happened I thought I was going to get blue screened. It happens pretty frequently and is annoying and noticeable. Other then that I have not noticed any other technical issues.

Visuals:
The graphics are deceiving at first.. At one point Deliver Us the Moon seems artistically very plain and bland. The design of the main player, holograms, and magazines are very boring and uninspired. It’s definitely an eye of the beholder thing, but it’s where I’m at with it. When it comes to the Moon, vehicles, and buildings, it’s brilliant. NASA should take notice what was done with some of the design here. I was definitely transported to this world when I got to Pearson Station and the Moon. The visuals were lush in detail and realistic to the max.

Audio:
The audio is also very strong. At first you’ll find what you would expect to find in a game like this. But I found it a little more stunning later in the game, especially when you got to the Moon. There was no sound outside on the Moon. It’s true, in space no one can hear you scream. As for the music, it’s your usual moody set-up. It does its job well here and does not get repetitive or try to retread pieces already heard. The voice acting here is good as well. The voice actors easily convey the appropriate feelings and moods. There’s not a whole lot of voice work, but what you get is good.

Online/Multiplayer:
This game is single-player only with no online component.

Conclusion:
My biggest complaint is that Deliver Us the Moon feels short and you’re constantly being pushed in the next direction. I understand story pacing, and wanting the player to experience an urgent rush to complete objectives. But, I want more world building and exploration, I want to explore the abandoned WSE building, and breathe in the dust. I want to experience zero-g and explore and abandoned station. This really isn’t a bad thing if you think about it, a player wanting more is usually a good thing.

Deliver Us the Moon is a great addition to the “walking sim” genre. It blends mystery and excitement very well. The story and hook holds up very well throughout the game. The story is believable, even though the timeline is a little close. I highly recommend this game even with the small issues the game has.

Score:

* All screenshots used in this review were taken directly from the game using the Share functionality on the PlayStation 4.

Disabled gamer. Married Father of 4, and playing since the Atari days. I have a passion for all things Lego and an avid Toy Collector. I am also an huge Doctor Who Fan and can talk all things Who for hours 🙂